I got a big milestone notification from WordPress this week and while it made me feel a great sense of pride, on reflection, I felt i have achieved everything I could with this medium and it was just time to focus on other things. The blog was inspired by my first interaction with VR at the Clinton Global Initiative back in 2015 and has now been ticking over for 6 years now – spurring 2 books and countless conversations about what the future of philanthropy might look like. Since my first post on August 13, 2017 – titled ‘Asks of the Future: Selling Browsing Data to Fuel AI’ through to what ..read more

It’s the end of the year, time to take that well deserved break and reflect on the year that was and refresh for the year ahead. Except that’s never the case as a fundraiser in this weird and warped industry we work in, where we are expected to have ‘coverage’ in our offices just in case a random donor walks in and decides to walk into the office unannounced and hand over a $25k check on New Years Eve (there might be a hall pass for this year though given that that day falls on a Sunday this year). The pervasive issue of burnout in the workplace is well-documented, with research consistently h ..read more

The term “surplus” in the context of government finances refers to a situation where the government’s revenue exceeds its expenditures during a particular period. When a government has a surplus, it means that it has more money coming in than it is spending.  Over the years this has become a very binary yardstick of strong fiscal management, something that continues to define governments and how they are traveling.Yet, over time that test – to me anyways – has lost some nuance, and when you drop down a couple of jurisdictions, and more specifically city councils, it is lost further due to ..read more

Traditional grantmaking approaches are changing. The vehicles through which funds are being invested are changing. Philanthropy is transitioning from funding as a charitable transaction to one with a social justice lens at its core. To adapt to this paradigm shift, the sector is going to need new voices, experiences, education, training, and expertise when it comes to executing these dynamic new takes on how we support programs and projects looking to deliver real impact for those they serve. And it’s not just the type of staff that will need to change. It’s also the jobs that support the work ..read more

The long awaited draft report from the Productivity Commission’s (PC) Inquiry into Philanthropy was released last night at 10:30pm with expectations high for change especially as we embark -together as a sector – on a journey in helping reach the audacious goal set by the government to doubling giving by 2030. At this juncture, 6 months away from the final report, it was clear that the committee were keen to support this journey. but by giving the parts to make the car, not a new car with a full tank of fuel.  My initial thoughts steeled around, well, there is no way we can double giving ..read more

Part of a series of engaging posts as part of International Data Week 2023. This article was written by Dr. Alexandra Pittman, Founder & CEO of ImpactMapper. By 2030, it is estimated that at least $12 trillion market value will be unlocked through progressing on the SDGs around the world. Data on social impact and SDGs is growing at unprecedented rates.  As a sector, we are sitting on mountains of unanalyzed data, the majority of which is text. We must unlock insights hidden in text data to be successful and drive funding to the most impactful solutions. But how do we do that and at s ..read more

Part of a series of engaging posts as part of International Data Week 2023. This article was co-written with Meena Das, Founder from NamasteData. A number of years ago, when I participated in racial equity training as part of my role within Philanthropy California, I appreciated the resource libraries on race that were shared with me, finding them to be quite helpful to both my personal and professional development. Most of these resources extended themselves to books and literature on the history of race, as well as strategies and guides to help discuss race and implement more inclusive polic ..read more

Data holds significant value for nonprofits, offering a wide range of benefits and opportunities for these organizations. But does it hold a monetary value beyond the ROI of informing fundraising, or will it ever? I wrote about personal data marketplaces soon becoming commonplace online in my book Future Philanthropy a few years back. The premise here was how could we facilitate the selling of data to interested parties so you were in control of your data and had the ability to choose what and who you want to sell your information to. The angle here was around smarter asks, personalized impact ..read more

One of the most important aspects of the inaugural Fundraise for Australia (F4A) cohort was its diversity. The experiences, the backgrounds, and the sectors and those they served. Jonathan O’Brien was one of the individuals who participated and someone who you might not necessarily see as your traditional frontline fundraiser, but you will definitely see as a doer. He saw fundraising as a way to unlock additional movement building to help drive more awareness and policy outcomes for YIMBY Melbourne. Coincidentally, the YIMBY (Yes In My Backyard) movement is similarly characterized by its diver ..read more

If you’re a big soccer fan then you would understand that ‘everyone’ is talking about big Ange Postecoglou, the Australian soccer coach who is not only reshaping the expectations of an underachieving premier league powerhouse but is single handedly ensuring the term ‘mate’ will win the Oxford Dictionary word of the year.  I am no stranger to this man’s legend, he captured my admiration back in 2009 when he was appointed as the Head Coach of my beloved Brisbane Roar, leading them to become the first team to win back-to-back A-League championships. Those who are unfamiliar with his work are ..read more